


The House That Built Them

by PetuniaViolet



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV), The Umbrella Academy (TV) RPF
Genre: Bisexual Vanya Hargreeves, Character with ADHD, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Follows the Show, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, No Incest, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Original Character(s), Protective Allison Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Number Five | The Boy, Protective Siblings, Sassy Vanya Hargreeves, Soft Vanya Hargreeves, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vanya Hargreeves Deserves Better, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Vanya Hargreeves-centric, even pseudo-incest, single mom vanya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:48:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26599318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetuniaViolet/pseuds/PetuniaViolet
Summary: “I’m pregnant, but nice leather jacket.”Diego dropped it and grabbed her shoulders to keep her steady, and Vanya flinched a little when he leaned down to face her closer.“You’re fucking what?!” he whispered harshly.-or: Vanya gets pregnant when she's 21 and it changes (almost) everything.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Eudora Patch, Diego Hargreeves/Lila Pitts, Dolores/Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Hazel/Agnes Rofa, Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz, Vanya Hargreeves & The Hargreeves
Comments: 132
Kudos: 667





	1. Allison and Diego

**Author's Note:**

> so I'll probably edit this when I get home because I'm posting this on my job's computer lmao. But enjoy it nonetheless!!

**November 16th, 2010**

**Week 4 (First Month)**

Vanya never met her birth mother.

None of her brothers and sister did as well. They were purchased by their adoptive father when they were barely ten days old.

The only matrilineal connection Vanya ever had was with Grace, a robot her father created to be the perfect housewife and caretaker of the children. Vanya was close with her robotic mom because she’d encourage her to play the violin and always appreciated her when no one did. The two would talk for hours whenever her siblings went on missions that endured days and Grace taught her to cook—something that Vanya would be grateful for during her adulthood.

When Vanya departed for college, Grace was the only one by the foyer to bid her goodbye along with a tender hug that lasted seconds. And when Vanya moved into her apartment, she sent Grace her address so she could tell her dysfunctional family where she was living in case they wanted to visit.

Vanya never anticipated visits though, if her father allowed Grace to leave the mansion Vanya knew her mom would come to visit her every day, but alas, Grace was programmed to never leave the house.

They remained close. Vanya would visit her mom and tell her about the orchestra she joined, and the praising always occurred, leaving Vanya with a small, but genuine, smile on her face.

But Vanya never met her birth mom. And even though Grace was a great replacement, she was an android. She was edited by Reginald. Everything she said, was because of him.

So, two days ago, when Vanya found out that she was pregnant by a blood test, she found herself lost. The musician just turned twenty-one years old, fresh out of college, and with a new job that she was lucky to have—so, this baby was surely an unwelcomed surprise.

Vanya didn’t want to be a mother. She had no parenting skills and experienced none other than Grace’s. But Vanya wasn’t a robot, she was not programmed to be a perfect caretaker. Vanya was human. Bound to make mistakes, expected to fail—ordinary.

She was four weeks pregnant, and Vanya knew who the father was. She was a virgin until she met him and this man was the only one that she had slept with. Sex wasn’t interesting to Vanya, she focused more on her violin—but it felt nice being wanted by someone for once.

Vanya decided not to tell the man. She had no idea where he was, or how to contact him and she didn’t want him in her life. That man would remain forgotten. It was a ridiculous settlement, Vanya comprehended this, but she also would hate to have that encounter. The downside of this choice was not being able to review the man’s medical records and Dr.Rawlings, her OB-GYN, told her she was practically gambling with her baby’s health.

Vanya was too numb to care. But the good news is that Dr. Rawlings told her that she could keep her current prescription for her anxiety—she needed them more than ever.

The toughest part, in her opinion, was to announce it to her family.

The reaction she feared the most was her father’s. Reginald gave his adoptive children an allowance that was deposited into their bank accounts every month. Vanya never paid much attention to it since she had a job, but now she realized that the money would come to be beneficial for the baby.

She still didn’t know how to feel about being pregnant, but she was certainly not gloomy about it. Fearful, perhaps? Or, dare she think, excited?

When Five disappeared seven years ago, so did a part of her heart—Ben was there for her, and Vanya thought that, for a moment, she would have someone in that house other than Grace. But then Ben died, just three years after Five vanished and Vanya never emotionally recovered from it.

Fortunately, the pills helped numb her emotions, so she didn’t as miserable as she could’ve.

Vanya decided to tell her brothers and sister first.

Allison was the best option for the first sibling because that conversation would happen through a phone call. Her sister was currently in Los Angeles, rising as a celebrity that was adored ever since The Umbrella Academy became public and merch worthy. Being the only girl of the team, Allison got more attention than her brothers and Vanya knew she loved it. But Vanya also knew that Allison began abusing her powers for personal gain and ease of life—but she would never admit it out loud.

Getting her number was a bit difficult, but not impossible. She asked Pogo for it and the quick, but somehow honest, excuse was that she wanted to talk to her sister and catch up. Pogo gave her the number, and surprisingly, the phone numbers of her brothers as well. Vanya couldn’t thank Pogo enough for doing half of the complicated task.

Vanya was home from work now. Phone in her right hand and the list of phone numbers in the other. She was staring at it, and she could’ve been feeling more anxious if it wasn’t for the pill she took thirty minutes ago.

_“Hello? Who’s this?”_ was the first thing Allison said when she answered during the third ring.

Vanya inhaled, “Hi Allison, it’s Vanya.”

_“What?!”_

Vanya exhaled, “Yes… hi.”

_“Hi? Vanya? How did you—wait, are you okay? Is everything fine?”_

Surprised by her genuine concern, Vanya’s eyes became wet as she forced herself to speak, “I’m fine. Uh… I’m sorry I called.”

Allison sighed, and the musician felt the frustration in it, _“Vanya, why are you calling me? I’m busy right now. I don’t even know how you got my personal phone number but… it’s okay. I don’t mind you having it. But you can’t just call me to say hi! I was about to enter a scene and I had to tell my producer to hold up because someone was calling my personal phone and I usually don’t answer unknown numbers but I had a sensation that it could be Klaus in trouble or—”_

“I’m pregnant,” Vanya deadpanned, interrupting her sister’s rambling with a tired expression.

She heard Allison gasp loudly, and for ten seconds there was silence. Vanya was expecting her sister to hang up after being quiet for so long, but when she heard her voice again, she stared at her window and braced herself.

_“How?”_

“How? Uh…”

_“No! Vanya, I mean—how?! You–You were so shy!! I thought you’d be a virgin forever!! And–oh my GOD!! Vanya, you’re pregnant? You? Are you sure? Did you go to a doctor? Have you told Dad?!”_ Allison sounded both skeptical and amazed, and Vanya was starting to feel nauseous.

“No, I haven’t told dad,” she began, “And I got pregnant from my first time, if you have to know,” she bravely added a bitter tone at the end.

_“Holy shit! How far are you?”_ Allison asked swiftly, ignoring the acidity in Vanya’s voice.

“Four weeks.”

_“VANYA!”_

The brunette almost tossed her phone across the room from Allison’s sudden exclaim, “W-What?”

_“You can only tell people when you’re around three months!! It’s bad luck to tell right away!!”_ Allison told her imperatively.

“What are you talking about? Dr. Rawlings would’ve told me that if it were true,” Vanya stated, giving her wall a perplexed gaze as if Allison was standing in front of her.

_“Ugh, Vanya! Nevermind, what’s done is done. Just don’t tell anyone else, okay? Wait, have you told someone other than me?”_ Allison asked, speaking too hastily for Vanya’s liking.

“Uh, no… but I was going to—”

_“No! Don’t! Trust me, Vanya, you have to wait until the third month!”_

Allison sounded urgent. On one hand, Vanya could consider that Allison genuinely cared about the situation, but on the other, Vanya knew that her sister had tendencies to aspire to be the center of attention. So this could go both ways:

Vanya agrees and waits to tell everyone else like Allison is requiring her to or she could do that and have Allison go behind her back and tell them without her consent. The silver line here was that Vanya couldn’t see Allison do something _that_ repugnant just to be below the spotlight.

The brunette sighed, “Fine, I’ll wait. But _please_ don’t tell anyone,” she said, wincing inwardly when she realized she was pleading.

Allison scoffed, sounding offended as she spoke, _“I would never do that, Vanya! This is your baby, not mine.”_

“Yeah…” she sniffed, nervously playing with a curl of her hair.

_“But you have to tell me when you find out the baby’s sex! Oh, and Vanya?”_

“Yeah?”

_“Who’s the father?”_ in her defense, Vanya heard her sister hesitate at the intrusive question, but nevertheless, she still asked.

When she didn’t answer, Vanya expected Allison to get the hint.

Thankfully, she did.

_“You know what, it doesn’t matter. Just stay healthy, okay?”_ Allison rushed, _“I have to go, but… uh… I’ll call you?”_

Vanya resented how uncertain Allison seemed, if she didn’t want to speak with her then Vanya won’t disturb her. All she needed to do was tell her siblings about her pregnancy without feeling as if she was holding them hostage for having one _goddamn_ conversation after years of being snubbed.

“Sure, see you in two months,” Vanya stated coldly, amazing herself at how easy that was to say. Dr. Rawlings did mention that mood swings were one of the pregnancy symptoms she’d experience, but Vanya was expecting her anxiety tablets to numb her emotions enough to diminish them.

Allison was quiet, she was speechless at her timid sister’s uncharacteristic reaction, but then she found the words, “I’ll call you later.”

Then she hung up.

And then Allison never ended up calling later.

* * *

**January 11th, 2011**

**11 Weeks (Second Month)**

Her baby was the size of a lime now, or at least that’s how Dr. Rawlings described it during her ultrasound.

Everything was going well with the baby, but the sex was still unknown—which was fine. Vanya only wanted her baby to be healthy.

Christmas appeared and passed, now it was a new year and Vanya decided that her new year’s resolution would focus around being a good mother and also find a new apartment before the baby’s birth. Because honestly—her one-bedroom situation couldn’t last permanently and Vanya decided that now it would be a good time since she still had her allowance.

The only issue she could possibly have was her dad discovering she got a bigger apartment. He probably wouldn’t care enough though, but it was still a possibility she had to think of an excuse for.

Allison called her to wish her a happy new year. It was a two-minute conversation and it involved her sister asking how she and the baby were before promptly ending after Vanya failed to find any more topics to force the phone call’s longevity.

That was fine, Vanya would think to herself, she doesn’t need her siblings to have a family. She had a baby on the way and then the two of them could be their own little, but happy family. Wouldn’t that be an easy solution? Yeah… truthfully, Vanya wanted her brothers and sister to be in hers and her baby’s life. But things aren’t as simple as that.

They never were.

And being pregnant _sucked_. Vanya was sick of feeling sick and the fatigue was beginning to affect her performance during her job. Tired of being scowled and scolded at for making mistakes during practice, she pulled the conductor aside and finally told him. The reaction was immediate. The man apologized and told Vanya to inform the HR as well so they could discuss when she could have her maternity leave.

At least that was taken care of.

Right now, instead of being inside her apartment on this cold afternoon, Vanya was cruising down the maternity aisle of the Old Navy store. She was only perusing with no intention of buying clothes yet. Her normal clothes still fit her, but her belly was developing a full-on baby bump instead of just gas and bloating—she was a short, skinny woman but Dr. Rawling explained that it can be hard to tell, especially when it was Vanya's first (and hopefully last) pregnancy.

But the musician couldn’t help to feel a little self-conscious at the small bump on her belly, so here she was, wearing the thickest coat she owned to protect her from the cold and to hide her body from bystanders as she looked at the prices of hoodies and stretchy jeans.

She ended up in the baby clothing area, and a bright smile appeared on her chapped lips when she saw a small but cute one-piece with critter patterns. She grabbed it instantly and felt soft cotton around it—Vanya was suddenly overwhelmed as if she had finally realized that this was real, she was having a baby.

However, what she wasn’t expecting was to run into one of her siblings in there.

“Vanya?”

She moved her head to look to her left, and standing between two racks of baby clothes was Diego, holding a black, leather jacket and giving her the most puzzled look she’s ever seen him do—which was saying much, since he was no genius.

“W—What the _hell_ are you doing?!” he exclaimed, eyeing the one-piece and then Vanya in a panicked way.

He was stuttering, Vanya frowned and placed the one-piece back before turning towards him and offering her brother a sheepish smile. Maybe he wasn’t as ignorant as he looked.

“Hi…” she gave him an awkward wave, and he stupidly waved back.

“Hi? Vanya, why are you looking for baby clothes?!”

She stared at him, and strangely felt calm. Here was Diego, the brother was would always scowl at her and shun her the most. The brother that always spoke harshly whenever he addressed her, which was rarely, and the brother she decided to stay away the most.

But Vanya felt… nothing about this random encounter. She wasn’t timid under his expectant stare, nor she felt like acknowledging his question—just to rile him up. So Vanya continued smiling, adding a little shrug before looking at the jacket he was holding.

“I’m pregnant, but nice leather jacket.”

Diego dropped it and grabbed her shoulders to keep her steady, and Vanya flinched a little when he leaned down to face her closer.

“You’re fucking _what_?!” he whispered harshly.

She struggled under his hold and thankfully Diego let go of her, but he did it as if he had been burned. Vanya watched him thoughtfully and noticed that he also seemed shocked at his own action.

“You’re p-pregnant? But y-you’re—” he stopped himself from continued before giving her an embarrassed look, “I mean… uh…”

“What? I’m what?” she raised her voice slightly, remembering her phone call with Allison, “I’m timid little Vanya?” she snapped at him.

And they were both surprised by it.

Diego scowled at her, patience running short, “Yeah! I mean, who the hell would want to sleep with you?!”

Vanya recoiled from him as if he had slapped her. And Diego realized his heated words too late. She promptly began walking away, hiding half of her face inside her oversized coat and trying to hold back her tears and the lump forming on her throat.

She’s an idiot. This was a sign, she can’t tell her siblings about this—why would they care?

“Vanya!”

Why was he still following her? He already did what he liked doing, which was make her leave the room whenever he was inside of it. It was like they couldn’t coexist in the same area before Diego had enough of her presence. Why did he say that? Why did he hate her so much? She did nothing wrong. Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!!

She was nothing.

Vanya stopped rushing through the streets—she didn’t even feel the cold, winter air when she stepped out of the store. Her mind was rushing so much that the brunette became unaware of her steps and accidentally went the opposite way from her bus stop.

Her head felt heavy, but Diego’s steps halting behind her were louder.

She turned around and gave him a pleading look because she was tired, her feet hurt and all she wanted to do was go home and have a warm meal and forget about Diego, Allison, and her fucked up life as Number Seven, “Please, leave me alone.”

Diego looked pensive, and his eyebrows were twitching as if he was debating himself, “Vanya…” he sighed, looking away with a deep frown, “Where is your car parked?”

She was confused at his question, but she spoke nonetheless, “I don’t have one.”

Shaking his head, Diego glared at her, “Were you going to walk home, in this cold?” he sounded judgmental, and Vanya (who was still hurt by his commentary) gave him a perplexed look.

“No, I was going to the bus stop!” she told him, feeling stupid for still answering his interrogation after what he just said.

He grunted, “I can take you h-home if you want me to.”

His offer sounded fake, but when Vanya remembered that the next bus would probably take half an hour to reach her, it started to look better than to wait in the cold. Besides, he stuttered again, which meant Diego was feeling anxious. About what, Vanya had no clue. If it was because she was pregnant, she’d be surprised. They haven’t spoken or seen each other in four years—except for the glimpse she had of him when she was walking inside the mansion whilst he was leaving.

He didn’t even acknowledge her timid ‘Hi Diego’ when he passed by.

“Okay…” she sighed, trembling a little when a breeze of cold air passed through them.

He nodded and turned around, beginning to walk.

Vanya followed.

* * *

**February 15th, 2011**

**16 weeks (Fourth Month)**

**8:10 AM**

Vanya hasn’t seen Diego ever since he left her home that afternoon, but she has a feeling he’s been coming back without her knowledge. Every morning, when she has to work, Vanya finds something at her doorstep.

Baby formula, baby diapers, toys, clothes (including the one-piece she had been holding at the store), and groceries that had many healthy snacks that she’d devour between breaks at her job. No one judged her since basically, everyone from the orchestra knew about her predicament.

Vanya knew it was Diego, but she couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to stay or deliver these things personally. She would’ve thanked him, but Vanya had a hunch this was his way of apologizing for what he said at the store. Still, she had forgotten about it—almost. It still hurt, him thinking that no one would want her, but she should be used to it by now. Allison was surprised, he was as well and her brothers would probably have the same reaction.

If Five or Ben were here, this would’ve been much easier because Vanya at least knew she could count on them for support.

Today Vanya was going to her four-month prenatal visit, so she was not going to work and she was leaving her house earlier than usual.

That’s how she managed to catch him. As soon as she opened the door, Diego almost slammed himself against the wall behind him, startled from being busted—the bags full of food fell on the floor as he gave her a wide-eyed stare. The oddest part of the whole circumstance was the sensation she felt on her little bump.

“Vanya—” Diego started, obviously trying to justify himself.

“My baby just kicked,” she interrupted him, tenderly caressing her belly with her palm, “Holy _shit_ , Diego, my baby just fucking kicked!” she beamed at him, and not even the numbness from her pills could take this invigorating mood away.

Diego seemed to forget his attempt at explaining himself when she said that. It was like they just saw each other yesterday, and not five weeks ago. He approached her with a nervous expression, looking at her bump awkwardly, and Vanya (bless her for being too excited to even think of her actions) reached for his hand and placed it on top of her belly, looking at him eagerly.

Diego seemed uncomfortable at first, but when the baby gave a tiny kick again, his face lit up and he actually _smiled_.

That brought Vanya back to reality, and she became aware-aware of his presence. She caught him in the act, and Vanya didn’t know to deal with this. So she decided to let her heart speak up instead of the reasonable side of her brain.

“I’m going to my prenatal visit, do you want to come with me or you’ll just stare from the window and leave a gift basket later?” she asked as Diego slowly pulled his hand away.

He stared at her, face unreadable before he finally cut the tension with a long nasal exhale, “Sure, I’ll come with,” he was trying to sound casual, but even Vanya could hear the clear ache in his voice, “Is this the one where you find out the critter’s uh… sex?”

Vanya wanted to call out the name Diego just barfed into her face, but she was too amused to worry about that now, “No. That’ll be when I reach twenty weeks.”

Diego nodded, and then extended his arm so she could see the bag of food he had for her, “This is for the baby,” he stated quickly, “Uh… I don’t know if you like some of what’s here but Eudora said—”

“Eudora?” Vanya asked, surprised.

His jaw tensed, “My girlfriend.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…”

They both stared at each other, wary of who was going to speak up first. It was awkward between them, that’s for sure. But Vanya also felt a strange sense of familiarity around it—she was awkward around her coworkers as well.

“So… are we going or what?”

Vanya huffed through her nose and turned around the close her apartment’s door.

“Don’t forget to lock it,” Diego mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

Vanya smiled, using her key to lock her door before walking down the hall wordlessly.

And Diego followed her.


	2. Klaus (and Ben)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Slut-shaming. (briefly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao I ended up finishing writing this chapter and uploading it on my work's computer again. I'll fix the mistakes when I get home :) Enjoy!

**February 23rd, 2011**

**17 weeks (Four months)**

**6:45 PM**

Vanya left her first childbirth class with a small smile on her face.

As she begins making these types of decisions, her pregnancy starts to feel more real, which was super exciting—but a little anxious too. But choose which childbirth method Vanya would have to pick for when the time comes had to happen—she went with the Lamaze technique, which was the most common one for women who got pregnant for the first time.

After all, Vanya was almost halfway through and there was still so much to do, it could’ve been overwhelming—luckily, Diego decided to stay.

Not at her place, but he’d be with her almost every day. Diego was ready to take her to work and pick her up as well, and sometimes he’d stay for dinner or visit her on a Saturday and have lunch. What mattered to Vanya was that their relationship had improved just in six weeks. They weren’t as awkward and they didn’t talk to each other as if they were trying to avoid stepping on eggs.

Vanya dared to think that this was it, this is how she’d fix their relationship. Maybe they could forgive and forget and have a normal sibling relationship.

Her smile widened when she noticed Diego’s car parked by the curb in front of the building she just left, he had his arms crossed and eyes closed. It was cold and it was probably going to snow again today, but Vanya was so thankful that her brother stayed, waiting for her.

When Vanya approached the car and knocked softly on his window, Diego opened one eye and glanced at her, she waved at him, beaming, and in exchange he grunted, trying to hold back a grin. While he settled his seat to be straight again, she walked around the car and opened the front passenger’s door, welcoming the warmth inside after closing it again and taking the seat.

She shivered and huffed hot air into her exposed hands, and Diego regarded her with a frown.

“You don’t own a pair of gloves?” he asked grumpily as he observed her put on the seatbelt.

Vanya shrugged, “I don’t like wearing gloves,” she replied casually, “Are you staying for dinner?” the brunette added, smiling at him.

Diego started the car’s engine and began driving out of the curb, “No, it’s date night.”

Vanya began playing with her fingers that rested on her bump. She met Eudora two weeks ago. It had been a surprise that Diego decided to introduce them, but Vanya suspected that Eudora probably had something to do with that. Vanya liked Eudora, she was friendly and she could put Diego in his place—Vanya noticed that he was a completely different person around her, which could be either strange or amusing. Either way, Vanya had a good feeling about Eudora Patch being in Diego’s life.

“That’s nice,” she told him.

Dating was something Vanya didn’t think about anymore. She only focused on getting through the pregnancy and practice her violin (which was getting more difficult as the baby grew because of the pain around her back muscles.

Diego seemed to take the chance to ask her a question that Vanya suspected he’d been wanting to know for a while, “Vanya, I know you never mention him and it’s probably for a reason but… who’s the father?”

Vanya sighed deeply, looking to the streets to her window.

“Did he… do something bad? Did he hurt you? Eudora and I could find him,” Diego offered, grasping the wheel tightly at the thought of his naive sister being taken advantage of.

“I don’t want you to use your job to find him. Besides you’d only find him if he had criminal records,” Vanya told him calmly, slowly rubbing her little bump for comfort.

“Which maybe he could—but you don’t know! What if he does drugs? What if he’s known to stalk women and break into their apartment and kill them during their sleep?!” Diego suddenly exclaimed.

Vanya blinked at him with a confounded appearance, “Diego, calm down. He doesn’t know where I live—I met him at the library and we had dinner, and then sex. That’s it.”

Diego spluttered before talking, “YOU HAD SEX WITH A GUY YOU MET IN THE SAME DAY?!”

Her shoulders jumped at his sudden and outraged outburst, “A lot of people do that—”

“No, no no! You don’t—Vanya holy _shit_!! How—But _why_ did you?! I thought you had been seeing this guy and then dumped him!” Diego resumed raging, his voice settling into a panicked/confused one, “Why did you decide to suddenly choose a random dude and fuck him?!”

“I wanted to lose my virginity.”

“Well, that’s a whorish thing to do.”

The silence settled around the air, creating a heavy air around the two—dense and thick that made Diego start sweating. He, again, realized the shitty words he just stated way too late to think about the consequences. Diego knew he, again, was too harsh on her. And he also knew that whatever Vanya was about to say, he deserved it.

“Stop the car, I want to leave.”

Diego didn’t obey, he kept on driving with a scowl on his face. It started snowing a few seconds ago, but now the weather became worst all of a sudden.

“Look Vanya, you can be mad at me but I can’t let you walk home with this weather,” he told her, trying to sound firm even though his voice cracked a little.

She said no response, but Diego braced himself for screaming either way. He never heard Vanya do that, she usually carried a soft, gentle voice that was barely heard. She was timid and never brought attention to herself—but Diego has been with her for six weeks.

Six weeks of pregnant Vanya with constant mood swings.

“Did you mean that?” Vanya suddenly asked, carrying a somber tone that made Diego’s heart clench painfully with guilt.

Damn it! Damn him and his fucking mouth, “No. Sorry,” he mumbled quickly, “I don’t think a woman is a whore just because she sleeps around. Which you don’t—not that it wouldn’t matter, because uh… your body.”

“You can’t keep telling me those horrible things. Just because you apologize right away doesn’t mean I won’t get hurt or forgive you.”

She sounded pained, and when he felt her big, brown eyes land on his face he responsibly kept his eyes on the road, “I know. I’m so sorry Vanya… I’m just really worried about you and the baby’s health.”

“The doctor said that everything is normal with both of us.”

“I still want to find the son of a bitch,” Diego grumbled, stopping at a red light.

Vanya turned her head towards him, letting her curls fall through her shoulder, “Why?”

“Because he deserves to know! And also, what are you going to do about your financial situation?” before Vanya could answer, Diego cut her off and continued, “Sure, you have a job and you’re using Dad’s money, but what if he takes that away as soon as you tell him you’re pregnant?”

Vanya looked down, ashamed, “I already thought about that… that’s why I was thinking about not telling him.”

Diego nodded, “I wouldn’t hold that against you, that asshole wouldn’t exactly be the grandfather every kid wants.”

Vanya giggled, and Diego’s lips quirked at the sound.

But he was also persistent, “This guy could pay child support, Vanya. That could help you.”

Vanya’s face lost the giggling afterglow, shifting into a neutral one again, “What if he wants to stay?”

“That’s even better??”

“I don’t want him in my life, Diego. That would be complicated and I don’t want anything to do with that man. I don’t even remember his last name anymore—he’s nothing to me.”

Diego scoffed, but before he said anything he caught the look on her face. Vanya looked apprehensive—and her body was nearing the door, inclining as far away from him as possible. He was pushing his luck. He didn’t want to stress his pregnant sister any further, and he didn’t want to be in an irritable mood for date night with Eudora—so Diego chose to abandon the sensitive topic—for now.

“Fine. I’ll try not to talk about this again. But you need a plan Vanya, and I want you to know that… I’m here. I’ll be here,” he disliked that it felt as if he was choking up when he was telling her this. It shouldn’t be this difficult to be considerate, but at least he wasn’t stuttering.

Vanya beamed, “I know you will, Diego.”

The light turned green, and Diego took Vanya home.

* * *

**March 16th, 2011**

**20 weeks (Five Months)**

Vanya was having a girl, and she now bestowed her bump with pride.

She told Diego and Eudora first when they came over for a Sunday lunch a week ago. Eudora congratulated her excitedly whilst Diego stunned the two women by drawing Vanya into a gentle hug.

They have never embraced each other before. The only siblings Vanya has ever held were Ben and Five—Diego would be the last of her siblings she’d think to ever hug. But it happened.

And she lovingly welcomed him.

Then she told Allison. The two have been talking over the phone at least twice a month now, which was an improvement. Allison was delighted at the idea of having a niece and she assured Vanya she’d visit her soon. The entire conversation consisted of Vanya weakly insisting that she didn’t need more clothes or things for her baby and Allison claiming (or demanding) that she had the right to pamper her niece.

Vanya was too drained and having really bad indigestion that day to argue and Allison ended up triumphing.

Vanya was also so caught up on the euphoria of finding a new apartment after going hunting for so long that she forgot that she still needed to tell Klaus and Luther that they were going to be uncles.

She had no idea how to find Klaus, so Vanya asked Diego if he knew where he was. Her brother said he’d look into any rehab center around the area and that made Vanya cringe. Klaus always had an issue with his drug addiction that started when he was thirteen years old, and Vanya never knew how to even approach him about it. She had been scared of his reaction. Klaus was always ready to never take anything seriously and act foolishly—Vanya thought he was funny.

Even when Ben died, Klaus (who was closer to him) never stopped trying to be a pocket of surprises and shocking behavior. But his narcotic consumption did increase ever since.

Vanya hasn’t seen him in two years.

She saw him once, just a week after their nineteenth birthday, sitting on a tall wall in a park while swinging his legs, waving at random bystanders passing by. Vanya stopped by to greet him but Klaus had quickly jumped off to the other side of the wall when two cops approached him.

Diego promised to find Klaus, so Vanya decided to tell Luther—which could be a problem. Number One was still living with their dad, and Vanya didn’t know if she could trust him not to tell dad about her pregnancy. Vanya already felt guilty for keeping it from Grace, but she was a liability—and even Diego agreed that their robotic mom would possibly tell Reginald, not because she’d want to, but because she was programmed to report to him and never lie.

All their dad had to do was ask Grace why Vanya had visited.

Vanya was currently watching Diego haul her furniture into her new living room with a pouty expression. She wanted to assist—but every time the musician moved to reach for a chair he’d scowl her.

“Don’t look at me like that, you’re not allowed to lift heavyweight,” he grunted after settling the dark-green colored couch where Vanya wanted it to be.

“A chair isn’t heavy, Diego,” she retorted, crossing her arms.

He smiled at her stubbornness but didn’t back down, “It’s heavy for someone with your condition.”

They both sat on the couch and looked around—the apartment was coming together. Her bedroom was already built, thanks to Diego and Eudora, and all was left now was the decoration and the kitchen. The cabinets needed to be filled with the dishes and the food needed to be stocked inside the pantry (because the ones that belonged in the fridge were the first thing to be done when she arrived at the apartment).

Vanya loved her new home. She finally had a bedroom for her baby and the location allowed her to be near a bus stop, grocery stores, supermarkets, and schools! The real estate agent was keen on reminding Vanya about the schools since the bump was already showing.

“You found a nice place,” Diego commented, looking at her with a proud look.

Vanya beamed, “I know right? And not too shabby too! At least I won’t have to look for missing cats over here,” she told him, making him chuckle.

“Yeah, this area seems much safer, too.”

They fell into a comfortable silence afterward, and Vanya relaxed as she leaned her back fully against the couch, caressing her bump with her eyes closed. She could feel Diego shift, turning towards her, and his eyes were clearly on her. Vanya was hesitant on looking at him as well because she knew Diego was about to tell her something that could either be good or bad news.

“I found Klaus,” he eventually stated.

Vanya opened her eyes and gave him a startled look, “Oh, that was fast…”

“Yeah,” he harrumphed, “Found him at a rehab center. He leaves in a week.”

Vanya tilted her head at him, confused by his sourness, “That’s a good thing, right?”

He snorted, “I guess. But the lady at the reception made a face when I mentioned him—apparently, he’s been in and out of that center for a year.”

_So, he was still an addict._ Vanya thought sadly.

“Maybe this time it’ll change, we could be more supportive of him,” she had no idea why her mouth decided to speak those words. Klaus was an estranged brother to her, she recalled Allison mentioning him once so the two apparently still talked more recently but it wasn’t as if Vanya didn’t want to help her brother get clean.

She still loved him.

“I know you mean well Vanya, but his situation is complicated. He refuses to get sober—he just goes to these clinics to avoid sleeping on the streets,” Diego sounded harsh, and Vanya wanted to defend Klaus, but the brunette dropped her head and kept her mouth shut—because she knew that Diego was right.

“I still want to tell him,” she sighed. And Vanya had no idea where her bravery came from—perhaps it was her body controlling her actions—but she found comfort by leaning towards Diego to rest her head on his shoulder.

She felt him tense at the touch, and then relax seconds later. It felt awkward, the two of them being in this position. They’ve only reconnected a month ago, but it seemed as if more time had passed ever since they became part of each other’s lives again. If four years ago, Vanya knew that Diego would be the sibling that would be there for her, she would’ve not believed you—even if you showed her shreds of evidence about it.

Such as a photo of them, leaning against each other on a calm afternoon. Vanya didn’t even feel Diego slowly rest his head against hers—his cheek brushing against her hair. Did it tickle? If it did, Vanya didn’t feel him move again.

She closed her eyes and realized how exhausted she was as Vanya felt herself falling asleep, the last thing she remembered was Diego setting an arm around her shoulder to keep her steady under his hold.

* * *

**Two days later**

**3:12 PM**

The NewYork Center For Rehabilitation & Nursing was a thirty-minute car ride thanks to the lovely traffic that Diego had to endure. Luckily the radio kept him and Vanya busy because of a podcast about conspiracy theories. 

Vanya was smiling when she entered the center, followed by a grumpy looking Diego who was already scanning the area, fully alert of any possible danger, and pining the locations of any exit door within his mind.

He let Vanya deal with the talking. She might not be as social as Allison but at least she was polite and pleasant with people. They got their visitation IDs and followed a nurse into a room that Vanya disliked for being too white and clean.

In the middle of the room, there was a round table with four chairs circling it. There was a door on the other side, that was were Klaus was probably going to walk inside from at any moment. Diego and Vanya took a seat next to each other, and even though she was tense, she noticed that Diego seemed nonchalant about being here.

He must’ve noticed her stare, so he shrugged and told her this room was no different than an interrogation room. She rolled her eyes at that remark.

“We’re not here to question him, Diego,” she paused, giving him a startled look, “Please don’t make questions that could hurt him. I’ve read that we can’t talk about certain things when visiting family in rehab centers.”

He tried to hold back a grin before he asked, “What questions?”

Vanya gladly answered, “We can’t bring any negativity, we can’t mention money, we can’t talk about the future—”

“Wait what?”

“It’s best to keep Klaus in the present moment. We can’t mention future plans for him. Any talk about where he’s going to go after the treatment, where he’ll work, or how he’ll stay sober is too much too soon for someone in recovery,” she explained without blinking at him.

Diego nodded, taking in her words, “Seems right.”

Vanya started stroking her bump as she continued, “The thoughts of the future build onto already present stress and anxiety. It’s much better to focus on the present,” she added with a thoughtful expression.

“What are the other topics we can’t bring up?” Diego quickly asked, trying to distract her.

“We can’t comment on his weight. Going through a rehab treatment might experience some weight gain or loss.”

“Yeah, okay. I wouldn’t do that, even if he wasn’t here,” Diego mumbled, “I couldn’t give one less of a fuck about his weight.”

“He might be underweight… we have to mentally prepare ourselves for that,” she reprimanded with a sad tone.

Damn her for being so rightfully considerate.

“Yeah, don’t worry I will. Anything else?”

“We can’t pressure him,” she told him solemnly, watching him roll his eyes with a frown, “Diego, I’m _serious_. Please… I’m already nervous about telling him, I don’t want to make things worse.”

“Fine! I won’t say shit. I’ll just stay quiet and let you do the talking,” Diego snarked lowly.

“That’s not what I meant!!” Vanya cried.

Before they could continue, the door opened and a very surprised Klaus emerged from the other side. He stood still on the doorway, staring at them with an unsure expression. Then, slowly, a wide grin crossed his lips and he practically skipped towards his chair.

“Well, well!! This is quite the shock,” he began, disregarding the chair and climbing on top of the table. He sat down, legs crossed, and stared at them both with an expectant expression, “Little Vanya and Mr. Grumpy himself—what a delightful surprise!!”

Diego sighed exasperatedly whilst Vanya gave Klaus a bashful simper.

“Hi, Klaus…” she greeted meekly.

Klaus beamed at her, ruffling her hair in the process, “Well my dear sister, you’re glowing! What do I own the plea—” his eyes ventured down and that was enough to shut him up.

Diego was now upright on his seat and Vanya internally cursed for not concealing her bump with her jacket. From Klaus’ expression, he must’ve already apprehended she was pregnant and this was not the way Vanya wanted to announce it.

Both waited for him to say something, but they were not ready for what Klaus stated next.

“Please, for the love of fuck, tell me the baby is not yours, Diego,” Klaus implored with a horrified expression as he stared at his brother.

Vanya visibly cringed whilst Diego jumped out of his chair to grab Klaus’ collar, “DON’T EVEN FUCKING JOKE ABOUT—HOW COULD YO—NO! IT’S NOT MINE! JESUS CHRIST KLAUS!!”

“I’M SORRY MAN! BUT I CAUGHT YOU STARING AT HER ONCE WHEN WE WERE FOURTEEN AND—”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!” Diego yelled frantically as he shook him with a panicked expression.

Vanya, who decided to ignore what she just heard, stood from her chair as well and stepped in between them before their dispute could bring unwanted attention, “Stop it! Both of you!! Enough!” she hissed, giving them both a pleading look, “Please, calm down!”

Diego let go of Klaus and stepped back, huffing a little and avoiding looking at Vanya. Klaus however, was all over his sister and he pulled her into a hug.

“Oh, Vanya… little, sweet, innocent Vanya… who did this?” Klaus urged her gently while rubbing soothing circles on her back, weirding her a little bit.

“Uh… that’s not important,” she responded, moving back as Klaus let her go, “I came here with Diego to tell you the news,” she smiled, “I’m happy about this,” she added.

Klaus instantly beamed at her, “Well, then! If you’re happy then I’m–HOLY SHIT I’M GOING TO BE AN _ONKEL_!!” Klaus suddenly exclaimed, as if reality had finally settled inside his intriguing mind, he turned around to give an exciting look at the wall, “WE’RE GOING TO BE _ONKELS_!!”

When Diego finally looked at Vanya again, it was to share a knowing look with his sister. She shook her head, imploring with her brown, doe eyes for him not to comment about it.

“Vanya! Dear! How far are you?” Klaus asked, shifting his sitting position to dangle his legs, swinging them back and forth.

“I’m five months,” she replied easily.

Klaus gasped, “Do you already know if you’re having a little _mädchen_ or a _junge_?”

“I’m having a _mädchen_!” she happily declared, making Klaus gasp.

“A little Vanya!! That’s so cute! I can’t wait to…” his face crumbled, and suddenly Klaus looked reserved as he lost himself to his inner thoughts. His head looked behind him, “We can’t, can we? She doesn’t deserve having a junkie uncle around her daughter.”

“Klaus, who are you talking to?” Diego asked cautiously.

Klaus sighed, “Ben, but you won’t believe me so what’s the point?”

Diego glared at him, about to say something he’d regret later, but fortunately, Vanya spoke up first, “Is Ben really here?”

It wasn’t a long shot. Klaus could communicate with the dead. Vanya knew Klaus could be a senseless troublemaker that tossed quips (even in dire situations) but she also knew he could’ve used his powers to summon Ben.

The looked that Klaus gave her was of pure hope before he nodded, “Yes… Ben, he’s… he’s here. Right next to me, he’s looking at you and he’s saying…” using an awed tone, Klaus mockingly raised his hands and wiggled his fingers towards Vanya, “That the baby inside of you will be him reincarnated!”

He began laughing, clapping his hands once while his legs swung again—and Vanya didn’t stop Diego in time when he launched himself towards their brother. She was frozen on the spot, heartbroken, and hurt by the cruel joke inflicted on her. Whilst Diego slammed Klaus on the table, Vanya’s ears ringed—covering up whatever Diego was yelling at Klaus.

She felt numb—the pills must’ve been kicking in. And they had good timing because if Vanya could feel anything right now, she would’ve cried right there.

So, Vanya left the room, leaving behind her brothers and passing by two nurses that were on their way to separate Diego and Klaus.

Unbeknown to her, Ben followed as far as he could—giving her a sad frown and wishing he could hold her, he could congratulate her. He hated what Klaus did, for a second he thought that Klaus was going to take it seriously, but then he had to ruin everything just because he was too insecure about being an uncle. Ben knew that his brother did this to push her away—and he understood why. Klaus was in no shape to be someone’s uncle, but Ben was.

But he was dead. Watching Vanya leave through the main doors of the center after dropping her visitor’s card by the counter. And he stood there until the doors fully closed.

Diego passed by him, being escorted out by security as he paced quickly after Vanya. Ben found comfort that at least _someone_ was taking care of her. He returned to Klaus, who was already locked inside his room for misbehaving and giving the wall a vacant stare. Sure, Ben knew Klaus didn’t want to hurt Vanya, but he could’ve tried to actually get sober to be in his niece’s life.

The ghosts spoke louder, though.

He sat by the edge of Klaus’ bed and said nothing—he knew his brother was already suffering enough.

* * *

**5:43 PM**

“Fuck him!” Diego shouted as he slammed the door of Vanya’s new apartment.

She hummed distantly, going directly to her bedroom and closing the door behind. Diego shut his eyes and tried a breathing exercise Eudora taught him to calm down. He couldn’t allow himself to be this fraught around Vanya, but he was so furious that all he wanted to do was throw knives until his arms got tired.

But he had Vanya to worry about now. So Diego marched to her door and knocked, hoping that she’d say anything.

Vanya was quiet.

He opened the door slowly and soundlessly, praying that his sister was decent as he peeked inside with concerned eyes. Vanya was lying on her bed, her back turned towards him—at least she took her shoes off. Diego entered her room and didn’t hesitate to cover her small body with her black throw, it was too damn cold for her to fall asleep like this.

Vanya didn’t move, but Diego could see her blink. He knew this expression, devoid and empty. The medication his sister took was practicing its effect on her body and mind. Sometimes he worried that those pills would negatively affect his baby niece. The doctor told Vanya that the anxiety medication wouldn’t harm either but not to also take more than two each day.

Diego tried to control that, he knew she had taken one while they were stuck in traffic on their way to see Klaus.

He still couldn’t believe his addict brother did that. For a second Diego thought that Klaus could genuinely see Ben and that, maybe, they could celebrate Vanya’s pregnancy together—but Klaus fucked everything up and hurt their sister’s feelings. Vanya didn’t even say goodbye, she just left—and that said a lot about how much damage Klaus caused.

Diego knew that he couldn’t see his brother while still hotheaded. For both of their sake. Using Ben as a punchline had been a low blow, even for Klaus. They both knew that Vanya was closer to their deceased brother after Five’s disappearance, it was no secret that their timid sister found solace in the bookworm.

So, yeah, Diego wasn’t going to forgive Klaus that soon for what he did to Vanya today.

“I’m gonna order something for dinner, okay? You can take a nap if you want to, I’ll wake you up,” he told her with a hushed tone, trying to hold back his anger since it was directed at someone else.

Vanya blinked and nodded slowly, and Diego was relieved that at least she was responding with gestures.

He promptly left her room and closed the door, then he grabbed his phone from his pocket and calls Eudora—dinner would be at Vanya’s tonight.

* * *

**April 20th, 2011**

**25 weeks (Six months)**

Maybe Vanya couldn’t sleep because she’s getting nervous about delivery, or maybe it was her haywire hormones—or just her big belly getting in the way. She began experimenting with different strategies for getting some sleep. One idea was to drink extra water early in the day, so Vanya could start tapering off her intake as she’d get closer to bedtime. That way, she started to need fewer bathroom breaks during the night.

Vanya was feeling much better after what happened with Klaus, but the whole ordeal made her think twice about telling Luther—so she decided not to. She felt terribly guilty about it, but Vanya was thinking about her baby first nowadays and she couldn’t afford to lose her dad’s allowance.

Diego was supportive of her decision. And when Allison finally visited Vanya two weeks ago with many gifts and baby essentials, the actress surprisingly understood her sister’s decision as well. Diego and Vanya were both taken aback since Allison and Luther had a thing between them that none of the siblings wanted to acknowledge.

Vanya continued her days with her guilt, trying to get through her pregnancy one day at the time. She began writing possible names for her daughter as a distraction, and her mind was set on a Russian name. It was at times like these when Vanya wished she’d knew her birth mother’s name—but unfortunately, her dad never gave them that information. Nor he wanted to. He forbade his adopted soldiers from researching their biological mothers—reminding them that the women did not hesitate on selling them when they were babies.

As if the seven Hargreeves could forget.

But at least Vanya knew she was born in Russia, and she was going to teach Russian to her daughter as soon as possible—but she would not pressure her daughter to learn it fast like the tutor her father hired did. Vanya decided to choose calm parenting, she was going to be patient and she was never going to ask much from her daughter. Forcing things would be forbidden and Vanya would do her best to make sure her daughter lived a happy and _normal_ childhood.

It was currently pouring outside, it has been raining heavily for the past three days and Vanya was thankful that Diego was still available to drive her to work. He’s been recently busy with his job and from what he’d mumble there was a complicated case he and Eudora were trying to solve. Although she liked the car rides, Vanya told Diego that if he couldn’t come to get her she’d be fine on her own—but her brother shut that down immediately.

As her bump grew, so did Diego’s protectiveness.

Vanya had to admit that she liked having him around, the two were no longer awkward after reconnecting two months ago. His presence was comforting and she felt a sense of security whenever he was with her. Eudora was becoming someone special for her as well, the two women would sometimes go for lunch together and browse for baby essentials—and talk about Diego, obviously. Eudora wanted to know more about her boyfriend’s childhood, and Vanya sometimes felt uncomfortable about the white lies she’d come up to cover for her brother’s past.

Vanya felt that if Diego wanted to speak up about it with Eudora, he’d do it himself.

Even though she was a bit too interested in Diego’s past, Vanya still liked having Eudora around. Sure, Allison now called her at least twice a week and the two would have long conversations that weren’t mostly stiff and forced, but Eudora didn’t grow up with Vanya, she wasn’t ordered to shun her out: Eudora was the first friend Vanya ever made.

Secretly, and Vanya would never say this out loud, she hoped the two would get married someday so Vanya could finally have Eudora as a sister.

Speaking of family, Vanya was reminded that she probably would have to choose a Godfather and a Godmother for her daughter. Instantly, Five would’ve taken that role—unfortunately, he wasn’t here. Vanya believed that Diego earned to be Godfather, he already did so much for her in such a short time—but Vanya wanted to wait until her baby’s birth to finally decide.

A lot could happen until there.

It wasn’t as if she felt that she was going to ruin the relationship that would send Diego away—but Vanya always had a bad feeling in the back of her mind, mocking and whispering that in her life, happiness never lasted. That something pitiful was bound to happen because she didn’t deserve to be happy.

_Fuck that_ , Vanya optimistically thought. Because the day she held her daughter would be the happiest day of her entire, unlucky life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next: the birth!!!
> 
> Drop in the comments Russian names (for girls or both) and if I like it I might use it as the middle name for Vanya's daughter!!


	3. I've Been Waiting For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby is here!! (Also yeah, the title of this chapter is a mamma mia reference)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, a few important notes before you read this chapter:
> 
> It's slightly shorter than the other ones, sorry :( 
> 
> If the characters act a bit OOC remember that they are 21 years old! They are not mature enough to make responsible choices!
> 
> There are a few hints at what is going to happen in the future, but remember that the future is never settled *wink wink*
> 
> Also uhh there's a mention of a child's death around the end of this chapter so be careful!!
> 
> And the last note: I have no idea what giving birth is, I did a lot of research but if it looks messy then I'm so sorry lmao.

**July 21st, 2011**

**38 weeks (Nine Months)**

**7:52 PM**

Diego grunted as he dropped his gym duffel bag on the floor of his apartment. The workout today had been tough but that’s how he liked it—besides, Eudora trained with him so he didn’t even realize that they were inside the gym for five hours.

Right now, all Diego wanted was to take a long shower and sleep, but first, he’d check on Vanya. She was nearing the due date so Diego was anxious about leaving his sister alone. When he called her this morning, Vanya told him she managed to sleep a little and that she woke up feeling less anxious so that put his head at ease enough for him to focus more on training than her.

He’s an idiot, though.

As soon as he grabbed his phone from his duffel back, he saw nineteen missed text messages and eleven missed phone calls—from Vanya and Allison.

“Fuck!!” he shouted as he grabbed his house keys and ran as quickly as he could while reading them, trying not to fall down the stairs.

_Vanya  
_ _‘hello Diego, sorry to bother but I think my water broke??’  
_ _5:44 PM_

_Vanya  
‘oh god it broke’  
5:47 PM_

_Vanya  
‘Diego please answer your phone!!’  
5:51 PM_

_Vanya  
‘i called my OB and she said it’s a symptom so I think I’ll be fine for now’  
5:58 PM_

_Vanya  
‘It’s too early anyway, I still have two weeks left haha’  
6:00 PM_

_Vanya  
‘Sorry if I scared you!’  
6:07 PM_

_Vanya  
‘ok nevermind I think I’m having contractions’  
6:33 PM_

_Vanya  
‘Diego please answer!!’  
6:37 PM_

_Vanya  
‘I’m going to the birthing center to see if they could check if everything’s fine. And I’m taking my maternity bag just in case’  
6:45 PM_

_Vanya  
‘I’m at the center, don’t worry I took a cab :)’  
6:55 PM_

_Vanya  
‘It hurts’  
7:02 PM_

_Vanya  
‘Diego please answer your phone they told me I’m in labor!!!’  
7:12 PM_

_Vanya  
‘it’s too soon’  
7:15 PM_

_Vanya  
‘what if something’s wrong with her? Diego please answer!!’  
7:16 PM_

_Vanya  
‘oh god they’re taking me to the delivery room, PLEASE BE HERE IN TIME PLEASE’ 7:22 PM_

_Vanya  
‘I called Allison, she told me she was gonna try to reach you’  
7:27 PM_

_Allison  
‘HEY IDIOT WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?? VANYA IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH AND YOU CAN’T DO SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS PICK UP YOUR DAMN PHONE!!!’  
7:28 PM_

_Allison  
‘Diego I swear to GOD I will rent a jetplane, get there and rumor you to think you’re a monkey for the rest of your life!!’  
7:29 PM_

_Vanya  
‘Diego I need you’ 7:35 PM_

“SHIT!!!” he yelled in the middle of the street after passing through the entrance, almost throwing his phone away as a punishment. He glared challengingly at a woman passing that was giving him the stink eye from cursing before he ran towards his car.

He was so fucking done with his own imbecility.

* * *

**Birthing Center of New York  
**

**8:32 PM**

After going through the longest twenty minutes of Vanya’s life of a nurse performing the electronic fetal monitoring and then signing multiple forms of paperwork with an uncomfortable, sharp pain on her pelvis, Vanya was finally admitted into her labor room.

They gave her a gown and Vanya took her time stripping from her clothes to put it on, which she thought she wouldn’t be able to do because of her trembling hands. All she could think about was that she hated being alone right now—she was so scared. Where was Diego? Or Eudora? And why wasn’t her brother picking up his phone? Part of her even worried for his sake, was he okay??

Diego always answered his phone after the second beep whenever Vanya called, so for him to not even reply to a text message was bizarre to Vanya.

But she was sure he had a good excuse.

After lying down on the bed, Vanya started sobbing, just the thought that she would be leaving this center with her baby was becoming overwhelmingly real to her, and she was frightened because she was _alone_.

The nurse that came to get a blood sample from her comforted her and assured that everything was going to be okay, Vanya wasn’t comforted because she could feel how much rehearsed it had been. Her birth support team unpacked the things from her bag and helped Vanya find out where extra linens, pillows, and vomit basins/bags are kept.

Some minutes passed and when Vanya heard footsteps approaching her room, for a moment she hopefully thought it was Diego—but it was just a nurse. She came to feel her abdomen to check the baby's position, and record or listen to the baby's heart.

Hearing her daughter’s heartbeat calmed Vanya’s anxiety more efficiently than her medication did.

The nurse also performed an internal examination to find out how much Vanya’s cervix had opened, so they could then tell how far her labor has progressed. That felt a bit uncomfortable but Vanya let her do the work wordlessly.

It was when she was left alone again, twenty minutes later, that a nervous-looking Diego burst inside her room. He looked sweaty and ashen, and his eyes were widened almost comically as he gawked at her, faltering, and standing near the doorway as if he was asking for her permission to step inside even further.

Vanya couldn’t help to start crying again, but this time because of how relieved she felt. Diego didn’t hesitate this time—he moved towards her and pulled her into an embrace, being as gentle as he could.

“I’m so, _so_ sorry,” he muttered, kissing the top of her head, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry Vanya,” he repeated sadly, feeling the guilt as if someone was stepping harshly on his chest.

Vanya looked so vulnerable and small right now, Diego couldn’t believe his eyes at the sight of his sister.

“D-Diego I was so _scared_ , I can’t do this alone,” she sobbed, reaching and seizing his arm to pull him closer.

Diego pulled back to look at her, her tear-stained cheeks told him that she already cried before he got here—he wiped away the new ones and inwardly cursed for his irresponsibility, “I know, but I’m here now, okay?”

She nodded, leaning into his palms as he cupped her cheeks, “Where were you?” she asked, sniffing a little.

He sighed before answering, “I was at the gym with Eudora, we lost track of time,” he answered, avoiding her eyes with shame.

Vanya pursed her lips, a flash of disappointment crossing her expression—but then she giggled weakly, shaking her head a little, “It’s okay, the baby wasn’t supposed to come for another two weeks anyway,” she told him, leaning back into her pillow, “Do you think something’s wrong with her?” she asked him meekly.

Diego took the chair nearby the bed and sat on it, instantly taking her hand to squeeze it lightly for comfort, “Of course not, the little one probably just wants to meet her family so much that she couldn’t wait,” he quipped lightly, feeling glad when Vanya showed him a little smile.

She started rubbing her bump, and Diego watched her fondly. Now that the anxiety had diminished and he managed to get to her in time, Diego began feeling giddy at the idea of meeting his niece sooner than expected.

He called Allison as Vanya focused on counting her contractions as she was told to do by a nurse.

Predictably, he got yelled at by her, and with reason, because he allowed his sister to scold him until she had nothing else to say other than ask if Vanya was doing fine.

“She’s counting her contractions,” Diego replied, being able to speak for the first time since he called her.

_“Oh my God!!”_ Allison squealed, changing her tone from angry to excited, _“So the baby is coming?? Has Vanya decided on a name?? Oh my God!! I need to be there, I’ll just buy a plane ticket and get there as soon as I can!! I’ve decided! I can’t miss this!”_ Allison rambled promptly, and Diego rolled his eyes knowingly.

“Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, no offense I want you here as well but you’re a _celebrity_ , Allison. What if someone recognizes you? Vanya would be a target by the media and so would our niece. The world doesn’t know about them,” Diego missed the little wince Vanya did as she caught the conversation, “The last thing Vanya needs is paparazzi after her and her daughter right now,” he added.

Allison sighed dramatically on the other side of the phone, _“Diego, you know I can literally rumor someone to never have seen me, right?”_

Bad idea.

“Allison…” Diego started, warningly, “You _have_ to be careful.”

_“So it’s settled then, I’ll see you tomorrow! Tell Vanya!”_ Allison rushedly said before hanging up.

Diego almost squeezed the phone until it broke. Allison could be so mature but childish at the same time, Diego knew she was spoiled because she was used to getting what she wanted through her powers but sometimes he couldn’t handle the entitlement she thought she had. They were almost twenty-two years old, for God’s sake.

“Is Allison coming?” Vanya’s small, hopeful voice asked from the bed.

He turned towards her and nodded solemnly, “I don’t think I could’ve stopped her if I wanted to,” he grumbled before sitting down on his chair again.

She chuckled a little, “It’s okay, I’d love to have her here,” she continued smiling, but Diego noticed it shift into a sad one before Vanya continued talking, “I wish everyone was here.”

Diego didn’t say anything, allowing Vanya to continue to pour her heart out to him.

“I wish Klaus was here too… and Luther. I still feel bad that he doesn’t know he’s about to become an uncle. I… I wish Ben was here,” they both held their breath, thinking about their brother and his death for a moment, “I… I-I wish Five was here, too,” she sobbed a little, her shoulders shaking as she frowned sadly, “Do you think Five would be here if he wanted to?”

Diego nodded, “Yeah, he would. You were his favorite. I remember that he had a soft spot for you,” he told her helpfully, trying not to think of the academy days where he would shun Vanya and degrade her just to please his Dad.

Diego still hated himself for that—it’s been five months since he and Vanya became closer as brother and sister and he’d know by now how much of a fucking idiot he had been as a kid for missing out on having a sweet, caring sister like Vanya in his life.

It had been a miracle when he ended up having a healthy relationship, but Eudora was a resilient, kind woman—and Vanya wasn’t as strong as she was. So for Vanya to still love him after his harsh treatment over her was proof that she was too kind to hold any grudges and still welcome him into her life.

He didn’t deserve her.

“Five would be the one that always kept contact with you,” Diego continued, his mission was trying to make her feel better and if he had to talk about his missing brother, then so be it, “If Five were here, I probably wouldn’t be,” he noticed Vanya looking upset at his words, but he continued nevertheless, “He’d be godfather, right? Yeah… he would be all over you. Making sure your pregnancy would go right, hunt for the asshole that impregnated you and force him to pay child support,” he spat, reminding himself that he failed to do that.

“Diego…”

“If Five was here, your life would be better,” Diego stated bitterly.

“Diego!” Vanya raised her voice a little, startling his enough for his shoulders to leap, “You made my life better as well! You cared for me, you were there. And… being here, about to deliver this baby, made me realize how scary this whole situation could’ve been if you weren’t here, with me!” she stared at him with a determined expression, “I love you.”

He awed at her, amazed at what he just heard, “You… do?”

She glowed at him, reassuringly, “I do.”

Diego’s lips formed into a soft smile, “Sis… I love you too.”

And he did. So much. He had been a fool.

Surely, if Five were here, Vanya’s life would’ve been much better.

But goddammit, Diego was trying his best and he was not going to fail his sister this time.

* * *

**July 22nd, 2011**

**4:42 AM**

To Vanya, it felt like her body was being torn in two directions. She was experiencing a blinding pain. The contractions hurt, but the worst was the ring of fire. She kept telling herself that the pain was temporary and that mantra made it better—only slightly, though.

She was certain that the pain she was experiencing would never leave her body.

Vanya began pushing two hours ago. But she didn’t realize that.

Giving birth is intense. The experience was sort of out-of-body. Time had no meaning. It felt like time was dragging at certain points and then at other times, she’d look up and suddenly realize hours have passed without her recollection. Vanya also felt like she wanted to escape her own body—it was if the fight-or-flight instinct kept telling her to look for a way out because it was so intense.

But Vanya couldn’t, she just kept pushing when Dr. Rawlings told her to push and endure the pain as best as she can whilst Diego held her hand comfortingly.

“Push! You’re almost there!” she heard someone say over her pained scream. Vanya hasn’t opened her eyes in almost an hour, scared to see her whole body on fire. She would feel someone dab the sweat away from her forehead—and she knew that Diego was the one kissing her head.

“You got this Vanya,” he breathed emotionally.

“One last push!”

“Holy shit—”

Vanya pushed, and it was like her soul left her body when she felt her baby finally slipping out of her body.

Diego cut the umbilical cord, and his hand trembled as he did.

Vanya was breathing heavily and disoriented for a moment, but when she heard a shrilly cry nearing as Dr. Rawlings placed her baby belly-down directly on her chest right after birth, her brain short-circuited.

There she was. Her baby. The most beautiful baby she has ever seen. Time seemed to slow down as she focused her eyes only on her. When her baby calmed down and blinked her eyes open, still sensitive to the light as she flinched a little, Vanya huffed a weak chuckle, knowing already that she would die for her.

She almost whimpered when they took her daughter away, but she let her care providers do their work and dry her baby off, put the cute critter hat Vanya bought on her, cover her with a warm blanket, and get her baby settled on her chest again.

“She’s beautiful,” Diego commented, his voice cracking slightly, raw with emotion.

Vanya teared up, looking away from her daughter for the first time to give him a bright appearance, “She’s perfect.”

Dr. Rawlings approached with paperwork to be filled, she smiled at them kindly before speaking, “Congratulations momma, is this the dad?”

Diego, ready to explain the situation to her, was interrupted when Vanya spoke up first.

“No, he’s actually my brother… and her godfather.”

Vanya heard Diego’s breath hitch at that, and he only reacted properly when they were alone in the room again, with her daughter sleeping soundly on her chest. After all, the first hours of snuggling skin-to-skin would allow Vanya and her baby to get to know each other.

And even though she was focused on hearing her baby’s cute little sounds as she rested, she felt Diego kiss her forehead.

“Do you mean it?” he asked quietly.

“Of course I mean it, you _are_ my brother,” she teased him.

Diego rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back the amused grin, he liked when Vanya quipped with him like this, “No, you know what I mean.”

“Diego I thought about making you Godfather months ago, I just didn’t tell you because I was scared of something happening that would make you leave,” she confessed meekly, finally glancing up at him with tearful eyes.

He scooted closer with a concerned face, shushing her gently to stop her from actually crying. He understood that she was tired and sensitive, after all, she went through an exhausting situation where her body and mind both burned her out completely, so Diego was cautious with his words to avoid inducing any stress on his sister.

“Vanya, I’m not going anywhere. I know I don’t think before I speak but I’ll w-watch my words from now o-on,” he told her solemnly, blinking tearfully when he stuttered.

She looked lost for a moment, “You? I was talking about me screwing things up…” she clarified, her voice was hoarse from screaming in pain, but she wanted Diego to understand her concerns.

Diego didn’t say a thing, he just sighed deeply and looked down dejectedly before he spoke again, “Of course you’d think… You know what? It’s late, we should rest and talk better tomorrow.”

On cue, Vanya yawned softly and Diego watched his niece squirm a little as her chest moved, he grabbed the burrito-wrapped baby to place her on the hospital crib standing next to Vanya’s bed.

But instead, he found himself holding her a little longer. Before leaving them to assist another delivery, a nurse had taught Diego how to properly hold a baby and now that he knew, he almost didn’t want to put her down—especially when his niece wrapped her little fingers around his index one—he held his breath because holy shit, her hand was so small.

When Diego looked back at Vanya he realized that she had already fallen asleep, so he tried his best to sit down soundlessly while he cradled his niece. Everything was quiet now, and even though Diego was tired he couldn’t help to remember that he still needed to tell Eudora and phone Klaus.

That asshole might’ve hurt Vanya but Diego also wanted him to know that both their sister and niece were fine.

His niece made a gurgling sound that startled him, and for a moment he thought she was going to start weeping, but to his relief, she settled down and continued sleeping peacefully. And he stared at her, adoring every feature of her face and falling in love at the thought of seeing her grow up.

“I’ll be here. Uncle Diego will always protect you, and your mom,” he whispered, “I’ll make sure nothing happens to both of you,” he assured with a determined expression.

* * *

**July 22nd, 2011**

**9:33 AM**

Five thought that Diego would never leave Vanya alone—he was ready to give up and return to The Commission disappointed at his failed, personal mission when he saw his brother finally exit the room, yawning theatrically. He was probably going to stop by the cafeteria.

_Even idiots eat_ , he thought.

At almost fifty-eight years old, Five had no patience. Especially since he was a notorious assassin and known to be expeditious and leave no traces behind.

It was fortunate that he accomplished to find a dull, but lucky mission around this day—the day his niece was born.

And no, he wasn’t going to stay because that was out of the question since The Commission would come after him. The last thing Five wanted was his family to get harmed because of an impulse, he was already endangering himself enough by coming to this birthing center to catch a glimpse of his newborn niece.

But Five needed to see her.

During the apocalypse, Five discovered her body.

His niece had been lying between Allison and Diego, the latter having wrapped his arms around her protectively. But she was still dead, like all of them.

At the age of thirteen, he hadn’t realized who she was until she saw Vanya’s soft features on her—and also the helpful fact that his niece had a pendant with a picture of her and Vanya, around her neck.

With the date of birth engraved inside.

Five felt the locket touching his chest, tucked inside his shirt. Obviously, he had kept it. And every night, he’d look at the picture to make sure he never neglected the face of his niece, smiling shyly at the camera and breaking his heart at how much she looked like Vanya.

She had died so young, just three months away from turning eight years old. He was going to do his best to stop that from happening.

But first, he needed to see her. He had infiltrated the birthing center as a janitor—someone you would not pay attention to. The uniform was big enough to cover his suit but he had to precariously hide his suitcase, and he tried not to think about it as he moved towards Vanya’s room—the door was ajar so that allowed him to glimpse inside.

Vanya was still sleeping. Good, let her rest.

He used his powers to teleport inside the room, standing in front of his niece’s crib. She was wide awake and gurgling happily. She didn’t flinch at his sudden presence because her newborn eyes were still blind to the world, but Five’s eyes worked. Really well.

And he was gawking at his niece, five hours old, with a startled expression. Five wasn’t expecting to feel such a surge of warmth and affection for a baby he has never met before. But his face quickly became grim as the recollections of his niece’s lifeless eyes, staring at him and tormenting his mind for weeks whenever he tried to sleep.

He shut his eyes and sighed profoundly, trying to get a hold of his emotions.

Five was going to stop it, even if he had to die trying.

He dared not to speak in case it would wake up Vanya, but he did open his eyes to look at his sister and a fond smile spontaneously spanned over his lips. Timid little Vanya was a mother now, and he wished her the best of luck. He was thankful that at least _one_ of his siblings was taking care of her—he was just surprised it had been Diego.

He yearned more time to stare at his niece, but when he caught Diego’s familiar footsteps nearing the door he blipped away, back to the janitor’s closet with a disgruntled scowl on his face.

Five needed to find a way to end the apocalypse.

He was going to ensure that his niece, Natalia Anastasia Hargreeves, would live a long and happy life. And he would kill anyone who would try to stand in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter there will be a big time skip and I finally start writing the show!
> 
> Also, I was going to name the child Natalia since the beginning because a) for the sake of the plot and b) Natasha Romanoff is my favorite Marvel character and her real name is Natalia so it was an easy choice haha


	4. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: All love and respect for Elliot Page! Since he’s still portraiting Vanya Hargreeves, who is still a female character in the show according to the wiki, I’ll continue using she/her pronouns when I write Vanya. 
> 
> But I still recognize Elliot as the King he is. Love for all my trans readers!!
> 
> Also, I recently came out as she/they, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for almost 3 years and I feel ready to say it out loud! :) 
> 
> Also, Natalia Hargreeves is portrayed by Lexi Rabe!! (see age seven)
> 
> Sorry for the small chapter after not updating for 3 months but the next chapter the show finally begins and I'm SO EXCITED! BECAUSE AHHH THE 3RD SEASON CAST DROPPED AND C H R I S T O P H E R!!!!

**March 21st, 2019**

**5:35 PM**

Vanya considered her life to be enough.

It wasn’t particularly pleasant nor depressing. It was… perfectly impartial.

Vanya was twenty-nine years old now, and over the time of her (sudden) motherhood, she has learned that there is no form of perfect parenting. That, sometimes, your child is the one that teaches you some of the lessons that no one else is prepared to answer until the moment they do.

Her daughter, now seven years old, changed Vanya. Natalia was everything to her—not even the thrilling feeling that crept onto Vanya whenever she played the violin could compare. Natalia was her light, everything she said or did was the highlight of Vanya’s day.

Since her birth, Vanya has kept a personal journal where she ambitiously wrote down Natalia’s milestones. The first time she opened her eyes, raised her head, sat down, crawled, walked, first words, first tooth loss—everything that happened and that was new in her daughter’s life, Vanya would document it there with dates and pictures. Whenever she felt down, Vanya would go through every page and contemplate how lucky she was to have been blessed with her little girl.

Natalia was enthusiastic about a lot of things: she liked mystery books and shows. Her obsession with wanting to become a private detective like the character Sherlock Holmes was amusing to both Vanya and Diego. Natalia was also passionate about swimming, something that was a blessing for her asthma. Thanks to her lessons, Natalia could now control her breathing better and avoid having severe asthma attacks—like the one she had when she was five years old.

Reginald found out about the existence of his granddaughter by the media—Allison hadn’t been careful enough when she visited her sister at the hospital after Natalia’s birth—and the result had been unexpected. First, he invited Vanya for lunch, she could bring Diego if she wanted to—and of course, Natalia was welcomed as well.

Both had been wary of this invitation, but Vanya was ready to face whatever Reginald had planned, and besides, it was also a good way to finally tell Luther, Pogo, and Mom.

It had been a disaster.

Pogo congratulated her, but he seemed preoccupied. Grace was chirpy, cooing over the newborn in the motherly way she was built for. Both told her Natalia looked just like Vanya, but even though things were going great, the air became tense as soon as Luther walked in.

No one commented at how humongous Luther looked—his torso had buffed out completely, shocking Vanya and Diego. They wanted to ask him what happened, but even the two were smart enough to see how uncomfortable Luther looked as they gawked at his body.

Luther was shocked, he has been ever since he saw the newspaper’s headline stating ‘ALLISON HARGREEVES VISITS SECRET FRIEND IN MATERNITY’ and a whole column about Vanya being the said woman that went in labor. The world didn’t know about the existence of Number Seven, so Vanya has been labeled as Allison’s friend, nothing else.

Could’ve been worst.

At least Luther managed to congratulate his sister under Diego’s apprehensive stare. The two didn’t argue per usual, since their newborn niece was sleeping peacefully on Vanya’s arms, but Diego knew his brother wanted to say more. Luther being the last of the siblings to know was something that had hurt his feelings, and Vanya felt guilty about it and hoped that one day he’d understand why she kept her pregnancy from him.

During lunch, Reginald finally cut the pleasantries and offered Vanya a good amount of money—if she’d let him adopt Natalia.

The results were immediate.

Vanya, who was too dismayed to speak, embraced her daughter protectively as she stood from her chair, to stand as further away from her Father as possible while Diego quickly went to her side. How could he ever think she would give up her baby for money? Just like that? She wasn’t like her mother, who had given her up for money because of fear and pressure—her daughter was the most important person in Vanya’s life right now.

Diego had a knife ready to throw at his Father, and even though Luther (who looked haggard) stood between Reginald and him, Diego knew he could still aim perfectly towards the center of his Father’s forehead. He was seething—too enraged and appalled to even use his words without stuttering.

Pogo had lamented profoundly the choice his Master decided. Silently displeased and disappointed at Reginald, the ape promptly left the room to get Grace in case anyone got badly injured.

Earlier, he had advised Reginald that the baby Vanya gave birth to would never be his as long as she was alive. She had a full, natural pregnancy—she had bonded with Natalia. Pogo had urged his Master not to do it, after all, it was not confirmed that the children’s offsprings would inherit powers as well. And his blunt request would only cause disturbance among them.

Vanya was delicate, and when Pogo found out that she had been expecting whilst taking the suppressants, he realized how much those could’ve harmed her and the baby if they were too aggressive.

All of that was unspoken though because Vanya never returned to the mansion. And neither did Diego.

Reginald, frustrated, decided to abandon his idea of adopting his granddaughter. He couldn’t care less about not seeing Number Seven and Two again, because to him, they were incompetent.

However, Luther managed to insert himself into his niece’s life by asking Pogo Vanya’s phone number. The ape casually forgot to mention it to his Master.

Luther didn’t want to disobey his father. He was the only one left in the Academy and he was still Number One, but he couldn’t help it. Vanya was his sister, someone he never thought about and completely regarded as a troublesome burden on the academy during their childhood and teenagehood.

To him, Vanya had been a meek presence in the mansion, the only thing that reminded Luther of her existence was during meals, and whenever she practiced the violin or sneaked out for donuts (which stopped when Five disappeared because he was the one that insisted on including Vanya during those escapades).

He had to admit that he’d felt guilty about shunning her as he grew more mature—what he (and his siblings) did to Vanya has no justification, but Luther also thought that it would be awkward to try and apologize at this point in their lives.

Luther wasn’t very smart.

But he was _trying_.

After being more comfortable with the phone calls he would, at least, use his phone to check on her and Natalia.

She appreciated his care, and she was relieved as well. She wanted Natalia to meet her Uncles and Aunt. Diego and Allison were already part of her daughter’s life—and Vanya was still trying with Klaus, even though he avoided her attempts—so having Luther join their circle was enough to make Vanya hopeful about the future.

It all seemed silly now, eight years later.

Four years ago, Luther went on a mission to the moon. Which was a surprise and really sudden but at least he got to call Vanya to tell her goodbye. Natalia had recently turned four when he left but she still managed to send her Uncle a farewell drawing of her Uncle standing on the moon holding her hand—both wearing astronaut helmets whilst Vanya red a shooting star towards the moon and Diego sat on top of a UFO, holding a knife towards a scared-looking green alien.

When Luther took it to the moon, he placed it on the wall of the container he had to call home. It was sweet how Natalia would look up to the moon and wave at it, thinking about him. Vanya bought her a telescope so her daughter could stare at the moon even closer, and that’s when Natalia started getting interested in astrology.

Natalia was quick on becoming keen about a lot of stuff at the same time, which could be overwhelming sometimes. But at least Vanya could count on her brother to make things easier.

Five years ago, Diego was kicked out of the police academy, and ever since then, his life spiraled.

Vanya still remembers opening the door at three in the morning to a crying Diego when his relationship with Eudora ended two years ago. Vanya welcomed her brother into her apartment and allowed him to stay as long as he needed—he was proud though, so Diego insisted on paying half of the rent while he stayed with his sister and niece.

Diego and Vanya were inseparable. Sure, they could have a fight or an argument but it never escalated enough for someone to get hurt. Vanya trusted Diego more than anyone, and whenever she thought about how awkward and strained their relationship used to be, she’d smile fondly and shake her head at the ridiculousness.

Even when he moved out after getting a job as a janitor at a gym. Vanya became concerned when he started boxing, going by the name of ‘The Kraken’, but when her brother began his nightly activities as a vigilant, she was downright troubled.

Diego assured her many times that he was fine, he had worse missions as a kid. She knew he was right, Diego was strong and agile and as long as he had knives, he would survive. Vanya loved him so much though, she didn’t want to lose him—he’s been so caring and present that she became attached (and a tad clingy) towards him.

Vanya wished she could say the same about Allison.

When her famous sister found out that she was pregnant, Natalia was three years old. Vanya and Allison had been ecstatic. Diego couldn’t believe he was going to be an Uncle again—and that Natalia was going to have a cousin. It was like they could make their own family and finally have some normalcy in their lives.

But when Claire was born, Allison stopped contacting Vanya and Diego as much as she used to.

At first, they both thought she was too busy or tired because of motherhood. Vanya remembered how hard it was for her to get used to a certain schedule when Natalia was a newborn, it could be rough, especially for a first-time mom.

At least they got pictures of Claire, but nothing else. Diego thought Allison was acting odd and he would always try to reach her, but Vanya didn’t. She was used to simply not trying. She was used to being disregarded or suddenly ignored.

So, she focused on Natalia instead.

The mystery about Allison’s abrupt disappearance from their lives was never solved. Sure, over the eight years she would either call during holidays and send them both cute pictures of Claire—but she never really took the time to have a conversation. Both Vanya and Diego never understood what led their sister to stop being truly inside their circle.

At least Natalia wasn’t affected, since her cool Aunt Allison would send her amazing gifts during her birthdays and Christmases. But Allison hasn’t visited them since Natalia was three, so this was killing Vanya inside. Every time Natalia asked when was her Aunt coming to visit her, Vanya had to make an excuse on the spot.

Which was easier when Allison was a celebrity.

Vanya was suddenly jolted back to reality when she heard her daughter’s laughter. The violinist smiled at the sight of Natalia leaving the locker room.

  
  
  
Vanya had been waiting for her after the swimming practice, and her heart warmed with pride when her daughter had two of her friends walking with her, the three chatting excitable among each other. Having friends during her childhood was something Vanya never experienced, and all she wanted was to give her daughter a normal life where she could enjoy friendships as much as she wanted.

Natalia eyed her mother and smiled nervously as the three girls approached the adult. Her chubby cheeks were still slightly red from the practice but something told Vanya that she was flushed from something else as well.  
  
  
  
“Hey you, did you enjoy practice?” Vanya asked, petting her daughter’s wet hair as they shared a brief hug as a form of greeting.  
  
  
  
Natalia nodded, “It was good! I was faster today—” she looked at one of her friends, the blonde one. Vanya recalls her name being Tiffany. The two shared a whole conversation with their eyes, and Vanya couldn’t help to smile knowingly before her daughter addressed her again, “Mommy… we were wondering if I could have a sleepover today? Because it’s Friday!”

The puppy brown eyes were there, she was bringing the big guns in on this request.  
  
  
  
Vanya disliked disappointing her daughter, but sometimes she had no choice, “Not this Friday sweetie, I’m gonna have violin practice very late today.”  
  
  
  
Natalia hummed sadly, taking in the downcast expressions from her friends, but she managed to smile their way, “It’s okay guys, next week we can! Right, mommy?” wanting to please her friends, Natalia looked up to her mom expectantly.  
  
  
  
Vanya almost chuckled when her daughter gave her the puppy eyes again, “Of course, next week. I promise.”  
  
  
  
The trio cheered at that and after Tiffany and the other girl (Vanya needs to remember her daughter’s friends’ names) left to go home with their parents, the two Hargreeves brunettes were on their way home.

* * *

  
  
Amusedly, Vanya watched her daughter devour her snack as she waited for the red light to turn green.

Natalia took one last bite from her peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich when her mom spoke, “Tammy will be babysitting you until I get home tonight.”

  
  
Natalia frowned as she worked on chewing the last piece of her snack. She was taught to never speak with her mouth full, so the brunette waited until she swallowed before replying to her mom, who was giving her a patient smile, "Why not Uncle Diego?" she whined a little.

  
  
Tammy was fine. Natalia liked her. But she always preferred when her Godfather/Uncle babysat her. They would cook together, eat by the television, wash the dishes while singing and then her Uncle would always tell the best bedtime stories of when the Umbrella Academy went on cool missions. It was a way for Natalia to learn more about her Uncle Five and Uncle Ben.

She was always wary of asking her mom about them, she always looked so sad every time Natalia’s curiosity over them filled the room with questions. So, instead, she started going to her Godfather for answers instead of upsetting her mom—Natalia wanted her mommy to be happy, after all.

“Your Uncle is… patrolling tonight,” Vanya sighed, seeing the lights turn green and driving again.

“Sweet,” Natalia praised under her breath, her legs dangling a little from excitement as she looked at the building passing by her window.

Vanya refrained from rolling her eyes, at least her daughter wasn’t upset about Diego not being able to babysit her tonight.

When they got home, Natalia decided to change into her pajamas to get more comfortable before Vanya dried her damp hair properly. The musician also made sure to leave money for pizza (extra for dessert) and when Tammy arrived at six, Vanya notified her that Natalia still had her math homework to complete and that she wasn’t allowed to eat dessert until it was finished.

Vanya didn't like being too demanding of Natalia, but she liked to balance her parenting to make sure her daughter learned about how important responsibility is.

When Vanya left, Tammy helped the seven-year-old bring her schoolwork to the dining table and helped Natalia breeze through her homework—the little girl loved numbers, but her mind sometimes couldn’t comprehend the teacher’s explanations because of the way they were delivered. Natalia could either find the answers in her way or lose interest in how complicated it was and get distracted.

But then the teacher started complaining about Natalia being either too fidgeting, shaking her legs on purpose to disrupt the class, being too unfocused and “pretending” to forget what the teacher had just explained, or interrupting her classmates when they were speaking.

To the teacher, Natalia was a menace.

But then she was diagnosed with ADHD.

The combined type—Natalia had impulsive and hyperactive behaviors as well as inattention and distractibility.

Vanya thought that this would be a problem added with asthma, but she was wrong. Her daughter managed to have good grades and with the help of their study sessions school wasn’t as complex as it could’ve been for the little one. And her asthma was doing so much better after Natalia started her swimming lessons.

Practise went normally, she was overlooked as usual, and the conductor briefly nodded at her as a greeting—he had been more patient about Vanya’s tardiness since he (and the whole orchestra) were aware that Vanya was a single mother—but he still resented Vanya for being the only member to be infamous for her lateness.

Vanya stayed after everyone went home, it was five past eleven when she was alone with her thoughts, right in the middle of the empty stage were once an orchestra had practiced beautifully. She stood under the spotlights, and let out a nervous exhale before positioning her violin and play a medley version of ‘Phantom of the Opera’.

She got lost in her thoughts as she played.

Vanya began wondering why Allison stop talking to her after giving birth to Claire. The brunette didn't understand why her sister was so keen on avoiding having a proper conversation with her but would still send Natalia gifts once in a while. As usual, Vanya thought it was her fault—maybe she did or said something that hurt Allison and that instead of explaining the situation, her famous sister decided to distance herself.

She thought about Klaus, and hoped wherever he was, he was safe. Klaus was a hard man to find. Diego convinced their brother to finally meet Natalia when she was two years old and after the initial panic attack when he finally held her, Klaus’ love for his niece was the reason why he stayed away.

But Vanya wasn’t aware of this predicament, and neither was Natalia.

It’s been almost six years since Klaus met his niece, and during these years all contact Vanya had from him was a teddy bear left by her door on Natalia’s birthday and an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ book.

Natalia would always sleep with that plush and the book has always been her favorite one.

Vanya recalled when Ben found the book in their father’s library when they were nine years old and told Vanya about it in secrecy. Reginald didn't allow such unimportant genres in his pristine library, so finding that book was like gold—and it was one of the most treasured memories that Vanya had of Ben. The two of them, sneaking into the library late at night, to read the book in candlelight.

She missed him so much.

Her depressive thoughts were disrupted when the spotlights were turned off abruptly, warning her that she overstayed and that it was time to go home. Vanya didn’t mind, she missed Natalia and Diego was probably on his way back as well—so she packed up her violin, and made her way out of the building while making herself look small.

* * *

**11:28 PM**

Vanya finds out her father passed away on a television of an electronic’s store.


End file.
